Delaware, OH --- Costa Rica, hampered by breathing problems
earlier this year, bounced back from making a break in her most
recent start to capture the $98,025 Buckette for 3-year-old trotting
fillies, raced here in one dash on the Wednesday (Sept. 22) Jugette
Day card.
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USTA/Mark
Hall photo |
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Costa Rica captured the $98,025 Buckette for 3-year-old
trotting fillies in 1:56 on the Wednesday (Sept. 22) Jugette
Day card. |
Driver Ron
Pierce left alertly with last year’s freshman filly champion and set
all the tempo on the way to a 1:56 victory for owners Christina
Takter and John and Jim Fielding and trainer Jimmy Takter. The mile
was a divisional national season’s record on a half-mile track.
The daughter
of Muscles Yankee and the SJ’s Caviar mare Examination, bred in New
Jersey by Perretti Farms, won her fifth race in 11 starts this year,
and with the winner’s portion of the Buckette purse has now won
nearly $1.25 million in her career.
Full Tank
(Brian Sears) and Up Front Juansteen (John Campbell) followed Costa
Rica to the wire on Wednesday, in that order.
“She is a
tough lady, this girl,” trainer Jimmy Takter said after Costa Rica’s
win. “You know she danced every dance last year, and then came back
this year to account for nearly $300,000 after she had -- I don’t
know what it was -- an insect bite on her throat that blew up
terrible -- and that was going into the Hudson Filly Trot. She could
hardly jog and she still finished fourth.
“She is just
an incredible filly and to be owners and the trainer of her -- she’s
a special girl. She’s a sweetheart and just does everything right.
She’s a professional.
“We will see
how she comes out of this race and make a decision on Monday or
Tuesday, or whenever they draw for the Breeders Crown. I have a few
days to make a decision.”
-- Kim French also contributed to this report
